I pushed through the mouth of the sewer tunnel which led outside into the cold air of the early morning. The sun had barely risen over the forested eastern hills, its rays reflecting off the river gently flowing from which the sewer water merged.


    Vixy stood in front, her back facing toward me as I followed through the thorny brush into the nearby woods. She had awoken me about half an hour ago for my second trial. It would be my final attempt to become a fully-fledged member of the werescale brood. The two of us had only exchanged a few words since she woke me up.


    “We’ll need to be quick,” she said as we walked through the river bed and into the treeline. “It’s dangerous to walk around in broad daylight this time of year. The locals like to hunt for food and sport.”


    “Where do you suggest we go first?” I pondered aloud. Vixy tilted her snout upward, letting the wind pass through her large nostrils.


    “I can smell the scent of some humans not too far from us.” She took another whiff before speaking again, “Could be campers, or possibly some teenagers, but it’s worth checking out. Every month, or so, we’ve had stragglers wander through the sewers who come dangerously close to discovering our hive. An uptick compared to previous years. Rumorey and Kaine believe a band of hunters have built a lodge somewhere not too far from the sewer entrances. If that’s the case, then we need to find a way to destroy it. Send a message not to come here.”


    I nodded in response but didn’t say anything. Together, we continued to explore the forest surrounding us, skulking through the trees under the cover of dawn. A rolling fog had settled in, aiding us in our mission to remain hidden from any threats. After a while, Vixy gestured me to halt in place as the human scent grew stronger.


    She turned her head toward me and whispered, “We need to shift into our human forms before we get any closer. We don’t want to scare them, yet.”


    “How do I… turn back from this?” I asked, unsure of where to even begin the process.


    “It’ll be uncomfortable at first, but you’ll get used to it. Imagine yourself from a third-person perspective, like looking in the mirror, almost as if you’re dissociating.” Vixy explained, pausing for a second as she focused her mental energy, reverting from her monstrous reptilian form to that of a regular human.


    For a moment, I struggled to picture what I had looked like. Despite transforming only a couple of days ago, it felt as if a lifetime had passed since I had been human. Thinking hard, I pictured my lanky body, my delicate face smooth masculine jaw, and pointed chin. My sunken green eyes stared back at me from the reflection I had crafted within my mind. Slowly, I could feel myself shrinking, changing back to who I once was.


    I opened my eyes again for the first time in a while, seeing the vibrant dark greens of the leaves and the deep blues of the flowing river. Blinking, my vision slowly adjusted to the light surrounding me. Eventually, my gaze fell upon Vixy, who stood a foot shorter than me, her brown eyes analyzing me as she looked me up and down.


    My eyes widened when I realized that we were both naked. Her short and plump body lay in contrast to my bony skintight flesh. Her long violet-colored hair was cut just above her shoulders while mine was cut short, with the exception of a few dangling strands that waved in the wind before falling back over my eyes. I could feel my face burning hot upon seeing her as a human for the first time.


    “We’ll need to remain quiet, but we should be able to approach without fear of being shot at least.” Vixy reasoned as she turned her gaze away from me. Her soft, feminine features were completely different from her appearance as a werescale, but I tried not to think about it and remained focused on the task at hand.


    Pushing through several bushes, we came to a small campsite, spotting two relatively young males dressed in camouflage. They were sitting next to a campfire with a silver pot over it. It appeared as if they were cooking an early morning meal while out on patrol. Vixy pulled me behind the cover of a tree in the nick of time before one of the hunters could spot us.


    “Did you notice the patch on their uniform?” She whispered, her husky voice. Her warm breath blew against my face as she pressed me tightly against her. I could feel myself getting hotter the longer we lingered behind the shaded cover of the giant tree trunk.


    “N-no,” I stammered, trying to remain calm. “I didn’t get a chance before you pulled me away.” I kept my gaze locked with hers, but I couldn’t help, but glance down at her round bosom. She rolled her eyes but didn’t say anything. The two of us waited as the hunters talked amongst themselves.


    “I can’t believe John made us get up this early just to patrol these woods. Ain’t anything out here to be worried about.” One of them grumbled to the other.


    “Yeah, the Preacher’s just paranoid, but he pays well at least, plus that cabin he built out here’s got a nice roof over it. It ain’t too bad out here, but these uniforms sure don’t play with the humidity well.” The other said to his partner.


    “Paranoid’s right. Did you hear ‘em talkin’ about devil spawn livin’ under the town in the sewers? Crazy stuff, I’m telling you. A part of me thinks he’s just finding an excuse to use that church money the townsfolk donate him to get free vacations. I mean there ain’t no way a preacher can afford a nice lodge like that on his own.”


    “Maybe he’s got a nice job, I mean how much do you really know about Preacher John? Ain’t like you grew up with the guy. He keeps to himself for the most part, but I’m sure it’s all in God''s plan. Plus, like I said, the fact we’re getting paid to hunt imaginary boogeymen is enough to keep me quiet. This is by far the easiest gig I ever got.”


    While the two continued to talk amongst themselves, Vixy had peeked behind the trunk of the tree to get a better view of the two hunters.


    “They’re distracted, if we act quickly enough, you and I can take them before they can grab their rifles. I’ll take the one on the left, and you take the right.” Vixy ordered.A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    I attempted to tell her that I had never killed anyone in my life, but before I could object she jumped out from behind our cover, shifting into her werescale form. Without hesitation, I followed her, picturing myself as the wicked beast I had become only a couple of nights ago.


    Vixy descended on her target, tearing him into shreds before he could fight back. Swiftly, I lunged for the hunter on the right, pinning him to the ground. He screamed in terror as he struggled beneath my claws. I leered at him, unsure of how best to kill him. A feeling of nausea fell over me as I pressed my weight against him.


    “I don’t want to do this,” I said aloud. “Tell me where your preacher’s lodge is and I’ll let you go.”


    “I-it’s just n-north of here!” The hunter screeched. He soiled his trousers from the fear of being eaten alive.


    “How many humans live there?” Vixy stepped to the right of me, peering down at the wailing human beneath her.


    “I dunno! M-m-maybe fifteen o-o-or twenty? I dunno! I dunno! Now let me go! I won’t tell a soul I swear!” He was full-blown crying.


    I turned my gaze upward toward Vixy, “Anything else?” I asked her.


    “No, that’s all I need to know.” Without hesitation she slammed her tail on top of the man’s head, crushing his skull and killing him instantly. Squirting blood and bits of brain matter flew into my mouth. Immediately, I began coughing it up, nearly vomiting.


    “Why did you do that?” I sputtered before regaining my composure. “He told us what we needed, we didn’t have to kill him!”


    Vixy shrugged, “He would’ve run back to his buddies and warned them. We couldn’t take that risk or it might have put our mission in jeopardy.”


    “How could you possibly know that?” I screamed at Vixy while wiping the blood from my face.


    Vixy paused, letting a brief silence fall over us before she sighed. “It’s not just that…”


    Another moment of silence.


    “Well?” I pushed for an answer.


    Her nose twitched in frustration from being verbally prodded. “There are several reasons why you want to kill a human! If you don’t, they could turn like you did, and plus, it’s food…”


    I stared at her for a long while before she shapeshifted back into her human form. “Here,” she said as she undressed the hunter’s corpse. “Put their uniforms on. It’ll give us a better chance at sneaking in undetected.”


    I stood motionless for a moment. My body was trembling, but I didn’t quite know how to react so I just did as I was told. Vixy’s brutality made me question my allegiance to the brood and to her, but for now, I kept silent on the matter.


    After getting dressed in our disguises, I suggested hiding the bodies, but Vixy shook her head, insisting that she would dispose of them in her own way. I did my best to ignore the disgusting sounds of her chowing down on the bones of the innocents.


    I snuffed out the flames of the bonfire and did my best to rid the campsite of any evidence that we or anyone else had been there. Once Vixy was satisfied that no one would be able to discover what we had done here, we continued northward in search of the lodge.


    It was a while before we spoke again, but I figured some conversation would help distract me from what I had witnessed.


    “Do you know what’s wrong with Alice?” I asked spontaneously.


    “What do you mean?” Vixy responded.


    “She’s always coughing and she looks much weaker compared to Kaine or Rumorey,” I shrugged. “She said it was due to her age, which I believed at first, but if that’s the case, then why isn’t every other member of the brood who is around the same age showing similar symptoms?”


    Vixy didn’t answer right away, instead, she took some time to ponder. “A hybrid has the potential to live to be a hundred and fifty if they play their cards right. Rarely do they live that long, but it is possible. You’re very perceptive to notice her condition.”


    “You’re not answering the question,” I replied, pushing for more information.


    “Long ago, before I was born,” Vixy began. “The brood had to tunnel underground to survive. From what I understand, we used to live top-side but were forced underground by humanity and a tribe of nomadic werewolves who possibly still control some portion of these lands, albeit they haven’t made their presence known for some time, but that’s beside the point…”


    She paused for a second to smell the air, trying to detect the scent of any threat before continuing. “Anyway, Kaine, Alice, and Rumorey were the brood’s strongest fighters, who relied on Orua, the wise woman and elder of the brood of that time, to heal their wounds as well as lead them to safety. At the time, they found the sewers to be the only place where they could avoid their enemies until they could recoup and reclaim the lands given to them by our ancestors. However, another group of hybrids had already claimed the territory.”


    Vixy took a moment to catch her breath before continuing the story. “A clan of werevermin already lived deep in the tunnels of the sewers and they were not pleased with our brood moving into their homeland. Without warning, they ambushed the werescales and the brood found itself in another conflict. This time, however, we refused to leave, knowing we would face a slow death via extinction if we did not fight. So a war between the werescales and werevermins broke out beneath the city of Faytvill. Despite the numbers advantage the vermin had, our fighters were stronger and better disciplined. Alice, along with Kaine, fought tooth and nail to beat back the tide of swarming ratmen from our encampment until they surrendered during one fateful battle. Kaine was badly injured during the fight but survived relatively unscathed. Orua and Rumorey were content with the werevermin’s surrender, but Alice sought total annihilation. She led a small squad deep into the depths of the sewers against Orua’s wishes to eradicate the ratmen’s nest and was ultimately successful. Yet, her victory was not without major sacrifices. She was the only one to return from her squad and was critically injured from the excursion. Orua did what she could to keep Alice alive, but the wounds she suffered at the hands of the werevermin horde had left her permanently disabled. After the war had ended, Alice could no longer fight and was forced to become a medicine woman in order to provide assistance to the brood. After all, our traditions do not permit us to keep useless members who cannot provide for themselves and others.”


    Vixy stood near the edge of a small hill that overlooked a clearing where the hunters had built their wooden cabin from the trees they had cut down nearby. The sun had risen above the mountains to the east, its light bathing the gardens beneath it. The fog had also lifted from the area giving us a clear line of sight of the area. I could see several guards digging up mounds of dirt with shovels to clear uneven paths around the perimeter to make for easier traversal. There were also farmers outside tending to the crops and animals, carrying various tools and buckets filled with water. It appeared that a whole community of people was being brought out to the lodge to work the lands and construct new buildings.


    “We’re going to turn this place into a slaughterhouse,” Vixy whispered to me with a smile.


    I swallowed hard and couldn’t help but feel my heart sinking into the pits of my stomach. My gut told me something terrible was looming on the horizon.